Bibliography on the French  Royal Succession | Bibliographie sur le droit à la couronne de France

Contents

Introduction

There are a variety of books on this subject. Many of those cited here are works of law, history, or history of law. I have also listed a few books that are explicit presentations of arguments on both sides of the dispute that has existed since 1883.

Much of this bibliography is taken from Jean-Louis Harouel et al.: Histoire des Institutions: de l'époque franque à la Révolution (Paris: PUF, 1989), pp. 303-5, and the work by Saguez-Lovisi cited below. Many items in those bibliographies, however, are unpublished material emanating from law schools (mainly the law school of the University of Paris): lecture notes, undergraduate and graduate theses. I have not listed all of them.

See also at the end the bibliography taken from Guy Augé


Il existe une grande variété de livres sur ce sujet. La plupart de ceux cités ici consiste en livres de droit, d'histoire ou d'histoire du droit. J'ai aussi cité un certain nombre de livres qui présentent une ou l'autre des positions dans la dispute qui dure depuis 1883.

L'essentiel de cette bibliographie est tiré du livre de Jean-Louis Harouel et al.: Histoire des Institutions: de l'époque franque à la Révolution (Paris: PUF, 1989), pp. 303-5, ainsi que de l'ouvrage de Saguez-Lovisi cité plus bas. Mais beaucoup d'ouvrages qui y sont cités sont des documents non publiés, émanant des universités (surtout la faculté de droit de Paris): notes de cours, mémoires de maîtrise ou license, thèses. Je ne les ai pas tous cités ici.

Voyez aussi la bibliographie de Guy Augé à la fin de cette page. 


1. French Institutions and Law

2. Laws of Succession in General

3. Theorists and Jurists

4. Hereditary Principle

5. Salic law

See also my discussion of the Salic law.

6. Catholicity

7. Marriage and Legitimate Birth

The subject of marriage has not been studied much (but see my page on French morganatic marriages). One important historical episode, Henri IV's projects to marry Gabrielle d'Estrées and thereby legitimize his children from her, is discussed in a biography of her, and in the context of the annullment proceedings for his marriage with Marguerite de Valois. The case of Louis XIV's bastards is studied in Saguez-Lovisi.

8. Inalienability, Royal Domain, Apanages

9. Monarchism in France today

10. The Utrecht treaties and the Legitimism/Orleanism debate

The extinction of the senior branch of the Bourbons in 1883, descended from Louis XIV's eldest grandson, precipitated a debate between supporters of the Spanish Bourbons, descended from Louis XIV's younger grandson, and those of the Orléans branch, descended from LouiS XIV's brother. The debate had been brewing for many years, as the work of Giraud attests. The first scholarly treatment of the matter is due to Baudrillart. The works of La Perrière (1908), Bourbon-Parme (1914) and Watrin (1916) put forward the legitimist position.

The bibliography by Guy Augé lists in much greater detail the books and articles generated by this debate, but (since this is not a very important subject) most of the publications are difficult to find. The publisher Communications et Traditions is currently engaged in reprinting several classics of this debate.

Bibliography by Guy Augé

What follows is the bibliography from Guy Augé's 1979 book. Guy Augé (1938-94), professor of law at Paris II (Panthéon-Assas), was a leading intellectual figure of legitimism. Note that a number of the works he lists were published in obscure reviews and may be very difficult to locate today. I have left his original comments, which are written from the legitimist viewpoint. Some of the works cited are already listed above.

Orleanist Viewpoint

Legitimist Viewpoint